UP forensic experts to autopsy slain botanist’s companions

By Elvie Roman-Roa
Inquirer Visayas
First Posted 12:21:00 11/24/2010

ORMOC CITY, Philippines – University of the Philippines forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun performed autopsies on the companions of botanist Leonard Co who the military claimed died in the crossfire of a skirmish between government security forces and communist rebels in Leyte last November 15.

Fortun, assisted by Dr. Maria Cecilia Lim and Dr. Reynaldo Dizon of UP, had been tasked to examine the cadavers Energy Development Corp. (EDC) forest guard Sofronio Cortez and farmer Julio Borromeo as part of the joint undertaking of the Commission on Human Rights, the EDC and the UP.

In an interview late Tuesday evening, Fortun said she had requested for X-ray examinations on the bodies of Cortez and Borromeo to pinpoint the exact location of the bullets.

There were 12 X-ray scans taken of Cortez's body and another 10 on Borromeo's at the Ormoc District Hospital Tuesday morning.

The bodies of Cortez and Borromeo were temporarily taken from their wake in their homes in Barangay (village) Halacnitan, Baybay, Leyte and Barangay Tongonan, Ormoc City, respectively, for the forensic autopsies.

Fortun said the autopsies, which was conducted at the V. Rama Funeral Homes, began at 2:30 p.m. and were completed at 7:30 p.m.

She declined to give her findings, however, saying more investigation was to be done.

Fortun said the X-ray scans helped them a lot and that without these, they would have had difficulty in finding the bullets in the bodies of Cortez and Borromeo.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Army 19th Infantry Battalion surrendered nine firearms to the Kananga police station at 6:35 p.m. Saturday, according to the police blotter.

Corporal Nelson Solayao, 19th IB’s supply officer, was the one who surrendered the firearms to the police.

The Kananga police had asked the battalion commander to turn over the firearms used by the soldiers who figured in the alleged encounter with the New People's Army that resulted in the death of Co, Cortez and Borromeo in Barangay (village) Lim-ao, Kananga.

The nine firearms, all M-16 with one of them equipped with a grenade launcher, will be taken to the Philippine National Police regional laboratory in Tacloban City gunpowder residue test and ballistic examination.